Billy Murray "G.O.P." Zonophone 439 (1906) political satire Republican party Democrats = like today!

Billy Murray sings "G.O.P." on Zonophone 439.

Did you think the world of politics was kinder in earlier historical periods? Not so.

"G. O. P." has this for an opening: "Uncle Sam, go get your gun. There's Indians after you. Democratic Indians--you know what they will do."

The chorus opens with this: "G. O. P.! Do the others or they'll do you..."

At one point we hear this: "Only white men can be captains on our ship of state..."

The song mentions Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, "Teddy" (President Roosevelt), Panama, and women's suffrage.

Sheet music has an illustration of a Republican elephant holding wheat in its trunk, a pointed party cap on the head.

Nat M. Wills sang the song in Duke of Duluth.

"G. O. P." was written by Vincent Bryan (1883-1937) and Gertrude W. Hoffman (1871-1966).

"G.O.P." are initials of Grand Old Party--that is, Republican.

We don't have Zonophone recording dates, but this must be around February 1906. Murray recorded it for Victor 4860 on February 6, 1906.

In case you are wondering, 1906 was not an election year for the White House. The song might have worked better in 1904 or 1908? It was not a hit.

Here is some info about Murray's' early recording years:

Murray made cylinders in the 1890s in San Francisco, but none are known to survive.

In New York City in 1903, Murray visited record companies in the metropolitan area. According to Walsh in the May 1942 issue of Hobbies, Murray came armed with letters of introduction from the Edison distributor in San Francisco, testifying that cylinders made there for local distribution had been successful and that he was a "natural" recording artist. Murray soon sang for Edison's National Phonograph Company.

If Murray's San Francisco brown wax cylinders had been successful, as the letters of introduction claimed, then copies would survive, right? No. The industry was in its infancy--sales were small compared to later sales of successful records, and the product was extremely fragile. Try to find ANY Bacigalupi cylinders!

Meanwhile, Murray stayed busy in minstrel shows that toured America, performing in various cities, possibly in small towns, too. At that time nobody gave any thought to becoming a "recording artist" because the industry was too new for anyone to think in those terms. Murray may have spent one afternoon making cylinders in San Francisco--and then collected a letter or two saying his voice was suited to the technology.

When Billy Murray late in life recalled his early years for researcher Jim Walsh, details were murky partly because Murray was disinclined to talk about himself (to Walsh's regret).

Murray had joined the Al. G. Field Greater Minstrels as a blackface singer and dancer.

Alfred Griffith Hatfield formed in 1886 what would in time be called the Al. G. Field Greater Minstrels. With headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, Field advertised his company as "the largest and most complete organization of its kind in the world." An advertisement in the February 22, 1902, issue of Billboard indicates that Field's stage production called The Roof Garden: A Night In New York was an elaborate affair, with "100 people on the stage in this production."

At the turn of the century, Murray earned money singing and dancing in such productions.

Murray's photograph did not appear often on sheet music covers, but a few sheet music items published by 1903 feature his face.

Murray became closely enough identified with Dave Reed's "I'm Thinkin' Of You All Of De While" for his photograph to be featured on some editions of the sheet music (Victor Monarch labels give the title as "I'm Thinkin' of You all o' de While").

His first Edison cylinders were released in August 1903.

The July 1903 issue of Edison Phonograph Monthly announced the August release of the "coon" songs "I'm Thinkin' of You All of de While" (8452) and "Alic Busby, Don't Go Away" (8453). It also calls Murray "a new man on our staff of entertainers."

The performances were probably recorded in June 1903.

At this time, artists such as Harry Macdonough, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, the team of Collins and Harlan, Albert Benzler, Frank C. Stanley, and the Edison Concert Band recorded so regularly for Edison's National Phonograph Company that a new title featuring each artist was issued virtually each month, year after year.

The young Murray joined these veterans, a new cylinder being issued nearly each month, year after year.

Other release dates and titles from his first year as an Edison artist include the following (after each song title is the cylinder number):

September 1903: "I Could Never Love Like That" 8477

October 1903: "Won't You Kindly Hum Old Home Sweet Home to Me?" 8521

November 1903: "Under a Panama" 8541

December 1903: "Bedelia" 8550

December 1903: "Up in the Cocoanut Tree" 8564

January 1904: "Under the Anheuser Bush" 8575

January 1904: "Mary Ellen" 8597